


chasing butterflies

by tuskens_mando (skeleton_twins)



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Earthlings in Star Wars, F/M, Fluff, Force-Sensitive Original Character(s), Light Angst, Only mentioned though, Rating May Change, Slave Trade, Slow Burn, Time Skips, Tusken Raiders Culture (Star Wars), but only in the prologue, but we ain't there yet, found family but with tuskens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-23 22:28:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeleton_twins/pseuds/tuskens_mando
Summary: There’s a dead giveaway that Earth is a distant memory. It’s scorching. Humidity high enough to already cause perspiration to break out across her forehead. Sweat drips down her temple as she squints towards the pinkish-purple sky. There are two suns hanging above her.Siobhan is an Earthling lost in space where she finds a home with a clan of Tusken Raiders. She also meets a cute Mandalorian and his equally cute green son.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Original Character(s), Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	1. prologue

It was a long journey–coming here, wherever here was, but Siobhan knows she’s not on Earth anymore. At first glance, she would’ve guessed some desert, somewhere in the Chihuahuan desert or even Death’s Valley. Maybe the Sahara.

But there’s a dead giveaway that Earth is a distant memory. It’s scorching. Humidity high enough to already cause perspiration to break out across her forehead. Sweat drips down her temple as she squints towards the pinkish-purple sky. There are two suns hanging above her.

She doesn’t walk too far when trouble finds her.

It’s a shame that some practices aren’t left back on Earth, that misogyny and abuse still exist in the middle of space. Her stomach leaps and drops and there’s a hint of fear stirring in her gut. A familiar feeling of panic when walking across a parking garage late at night after work.

Only it’s not humans that slip from the shadows. It’s something else entirely.

Two creatures step out behind some boulders aligning along the rocky valley. Both are bigger than her. One’s skin is bright red with horns poking out from their forehead while the other’s complexion is a blueish-green with jet black eyes. _Aliens_. _They’re aliens,_ she thinks. A breathless gasp escapes from her as she stumbles back away. She recognizes their expressions–an opportunity for something foul. The fear grows and she does the only thing she knows to do: flee.

Her heart pounds loud, almost in tandem with the throbbing in her head, as she runs away. She doesn’t know which direction to go, she’s merely searching for somewhere to hide from the creatures. Whatever species they are. 

Her feet slips and slides in her sandals–shoes not designed for running away as if your life depended on it and right now hers did. Siobhan quickly kicks them off, leaving them behind. It doesn’t matter if the sand burns under her soles, no doubt forming blisters, she just needs to get away.

Siobhan always believed, always hoped, that there was life out there. That realistically there had to be the possibility of existence of life somewhere in space, outside of Earth. It’s slightly egotistic to think otherwise. This wasn’t how she imagined meeting aliens, in fact, she was hoping for a less hostile introduction.

She trips, over air, over nothing, because of course, she does. In every single horror film, Siobhan watched the woman always falls during mid-pursuit, but she has to remind herself that this isn’t a movie. This was real.

The sand’s blisteringly hot and it burns as soon as her skin comes in contact, but it provides a cushion for her body. Even if it makes her wince, she’s grateful for the soft landing.

She tries to scramble backward, kicking up sand and disturbing the smooth surface as she goes. Siobhan holds up her palms, trying to think of means of escape, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Please, I don’t understand what’s happening. I don’t have anything. J-Just leave me alone.”

For a split of a second, she thinks that maybe it worked. Her pitiful pleading might have convinced them to just leave her be. Both creatures still in their tracks, hesitating, and hope flutters within Siobhan but is quickly dashed when both shake their heads, knocking away any indecision.

The creature that is painted red harshly laughs and when they speak, Siobhan feels as if some of her wires are getting crossed because she doesn’t understand a single thing the alien says. She recognizes the gruff tone though and it didn’t mean anything good, at least for her.

The blue-green tinted alien lunges, stick-like fingers wrapping around her bare ankle and drags her across the burning sands. Their grasp _hurts_. Tiny little thorns sticking out from their fingertips, pricking her skin. She screams.

A large shadow falls over her and both creatures freezes. Siobhan doesn’t know what made them stop, but she doesn’t waste the opportunity to escape. She sharply kicks out her foot, breaking the alien’s hold on her. They don’t try to grab her again, they almost appear as if they’re the ones who are frightened, and then to her surprise, they hurry off, running away from her.

Tears sting her eyes and she knows she shouldn’t cry, not with two suns burning down on her. She can’t afford to cry. She’s probably already dehydrated with the amount she has been sweating. But she’s terrified. Her chest hurts, she holds a palm against it, feeling the harsh rise and fall, the pounding of her heartbeat. She tries to regulate her breathing, keep herself from spiraling into a full-blown panic attack.

Siobhan struggles to her feet, grimacing and hopping on her tiptoes with how the sand burns. She startles and spins around when hot air hits her back, making the ends of her curly (now frizzy from the heat) hair blow around her shoulders.

She’s almost expecting her eyeballs to pop out with how they widen at the sight. Before her stands a brown…animal? It’s furry and large and with horns as equally big as it. Brown fur hangs from it’s head, masking the creature’s eyes. She can only compare its size to an elephant even if it looks nothing like the animal back home. Sitting up top of the animal is another…alien. It’s donned in a tan robe, black and brown straps covering their chest.

It’s the mask that catches her off guard, at least Siobhan thinks it’s a mask. It reminds her of a mummy with tan fabric, dusted with sand, wrapping around the head, only with metal spikes poking out along the top. Black goggles stick out of where eyes should be. The mask continues into ridges replacing nostrils and disappearing into black empty space. Siobhan thinks it might be their mouth?

This must be what scared off those two creatures chasing her.

“H-Hello.” She greets, waving in case they don’t understand English. She waits to see their response.

The alien doesn’t speak but tilts its head and she thinks that maybe it can understand her. Okay, this was something. She could work with this.

“Thank-Thank you for saving me.”

They shout in some strange language, guttural and loud, and Siobhan flinches. “I…I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The alien shifts and slides somewhat gracefully off the animal and lands beside it. She hadn’t noticed the long weapon strapped on their back, but so far this alien was lightyears nicer than the ones from before. She doesn’t think it will harm her.

She forces herself to remain still when she spots two more coming out from the sandy boulders. All similar in appearance. They approach her. The first one that came to her rescue starts moving their gloved hands, motioning in a way that sparks recognition. Siobhan blinks as she mentally translates the sign language. It’s been a while since she learned and she’s a bit rusty.

 _Are you hurt?_ The alien asks and relief floods through her. She knew she could trust her instincts about them.

Siobhan shakes her head no and signs back, _No, I don’t think so. Well, maybe my feet._

The aliens seem taken aback by her response, seemingly shocked at her knowing their language. Truthfully, she shares the sentiment, but she’s glad they can communicate.

 _We can take you back to our village and treat you there._ They tell her and she wants to cry. There was just as much kindness as there was trouble in space. She nods and thanks them again.

The alien shrugs out of its robe, holding it out for her to take and she knows it’s to protect her from the harsh suns beating down on them. She frowns, signing quickly. _But what about you?_

_Do not worry. You are safe now, little one._

Siobhan pulls her arms through the tan robe and immediately is shielded from the heat. She thanks them again as they help her climb on top of the animal. Its fur is as soft as it looks, Siobhan realizes as she gently strokes the animal’s head.

They lead her away from the valley and into the open desert. She has no clue what they are or where they were taking her, but for the first time all day, Siobhan feels safe.

✦ ✦ ✦

Siobhan isn’t sure how she arrived here. She learns later that here, the sandy planet with two suns is named Tatooine. She learns the names of the aliens that rescued her: Tuskens. Although some will call them Sand people and others will call them raiders or monsters.

Those monikers are proven false.

Once Siobhan arrives at the Tusken settlement, she receives nothing short of a warm welcome. There are Tuskens everywhere, coming from their tents. Tusken children chasing one another. They usher her into their home and coat her blistered skin with a soothing salve that seems to patch her chapped and torn skin back together.

Siobhan stays with them, learning about space, about Tatooine, about the people who inhabit the desert planet. She learns about sandstorms and the limited resource of water running dry because of settlers. Siobhan wraps herself in Tusken robes and follows them out on their patrols, on their journeys, teaching her how to survive.

The Tuskens, Siobhan learns, is if anything else survivors.

They ask her how she came upon their planet one night around the campfire and Siobhan shakes her head. She doesn’t know. So they provide an answer for her.

_You fell from the stars, little one._

Siobhan smiles.

✦ ✦ ✦

She finds work wherever she can around Tatooine, always making sure she’s pulling her weight around the Tusken settlement. She does any chores they ask her to and watch the children whenever the adults are busy. She has her own tent with a cot and not much else, but it’s enough for now. There’s a sandy jar that she stores under her cot, filling it each day with the credits she earns.

She’s curious about space, what lies between the stars. She wants to explore. She wants to learn about the different planets and cultures residing within.

Luck comes to her in the form of a trashed junkyard. It’s filled with spare ship-parts and various metals, mostly garbage, but she finds an abandoned spaceship. It’s run-down and there’s plenty of work to be done with it, but Siobhan falls in love with it. It’s odd, out-of-place in the galaxy like she was. It takes most of the night and the next day to travel back to the settlement with the ship in tow, but she does it (with the help of a bantha of course).

It takes a lot of work, but Siobhan gets the ship running, and with many kisses and hugs goodbye and promises of returning, she ventures back amongst the stars where she came.

Eventually, she makes her way back to Earth, but she doesn’t stay long. She collects her belongings, trinkets she thinks she could trade or sell, other items that Siobhan thinks the Tuskens will enjoy. And as soon as her ship is filled with clothes and food rations, she’s leaving Earth once more and heading home to Tatooine.


	2. part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time jump between prologue and this chapter. set after episode five and before episode six in season one.

She arrives late on Tatooine, around midnight. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to head back home, but something lures her back as if some beacon had been activated. Siobhan blames it on homesickness, blames it on missing her Tusken family.

There’s an area right on the outskirts of the Tusken settlement that’s not _officially_ hers, there’s no taped off sections, no signs bearing her name, but the sand people declared it as her landing pad, a place for her ship whenever she visits, and that’s good enough for her. Sure, it gets sand in crevices of her ship that’s hard to shake loose, but she rather deals with a sandy ship than be any further from her home than she had to.

Siobhan hears about the silver Mandalorian stalking the valleys of Tatooine before she actually gets to meet him.

_Where did you get those?_ Siobhan signs, waving her hands in the sand people’s language, nodding towards the chunky set of binoculars that hang around the Tusken’s neck.

_A Mandalorian traded them for safe passage across the dunes._ The Tusken answers nonchalantly…or what Siobhan thinks is an unaffected response. It’s still difficult to read the Sand People with them being masked and covered head-to-toe even after all the time she has spent with them.

She doesn’t mean to squeal _that_ loudly when she hears about the Mandalorian. It’s just that Siobhan has heard about the Mandalorians before during her travels, but she’s never had the privilege of meeting one. Never dreamt of one being present on Tatooine at the same time she was here.

Siobhan fails to contain her excitement. She flails her arms at the news and hears a resulting snort from the Tusken. She quickly signs back. _And you just forgot to tell me about this?!_

_You arrived back home. More important things to celebrate._ The Tusken grunts.

She pauses, face softening after hearing the Tusken call their settlement her home. It has become that, even when she’s off among the stars, even though her birth home is back on Earth.

Tatooine, the sandy planet with two burning suns mesmerized her at first glance, it was where she first landed and was taken in by the sand people.

The Mandalorian gets pushed to the back of her thoughts during the welcome home party. She’s distracted by the yells and grunts of the sand people, the crackling fire snaps loudly as she hoists a Tusken child into her arms, swinging them around, hearing the ensuing giggles beneath their mask. She places one child down only for another one to appear before her lifting their arms and making grabby hands. Their silent request of _“my turn! My turn!”_ is very loud and clear even if it’s unspoken. She laughs brightly before she grabs up the other child, pressing kisses against their mask.

The fire dims and the excitement of her return calms after some hours pass. She helps carry the Tusken children to their tents, one of them sleeping soundly in her arms. She’s careful not to disturb their slumber as she gently lays the child onto the soft-padded cot. Her eyes feel heavy and she’s slow to her own tent. It’s then she recalls the Mandalorian, one fully armored in beskar, here on Tatooine. Daydreams of meeting the Mandalorian fills her mind before she’s drifting off to sleep.

She slips out of her tent bright and early the next morning. The suns are starting to rise and she knows half of the Tuskens, women and children included, were still in slumber. The other half were off on patrol around the settlement, she waves as she passes them back to her ship, sending a goodbye kiss over her shoulder and laughs when she hears a guttural call in return. She departs the Tusken settlement and lands her ship closer towards Mos Eisley. She doesn’t quite know the directions but she feels _something_ guiding her. She finds herself outside of a spaceport.

That feeling pulls sharply, tugging, causing her to stumble into one of the hangars. It’s quiet for two seconds, long enough for her to admire the large ship in front of her before surrounding noises return. The sounds of pit-droids beeping and chirping and a voice right next to her. Siobhan turns and is greeted by a woman with wild, curly hair and missing eyebrows.

“Hey, what do you want?” The woman narrows her eyes. “You need ship parts or something?”

“Oh! Uh…No, no.” Siobhan answers. She’s not quite sure how to explain her presence so she simply goes with the truth. “I’m-er-I’m looking for someone.”

The woman relaxes, nods her head towards the ship “Need the Mandalorian, huh? Well, better make it quick. He’s leaving soon and he doesn’t like to get behind schedule.” She starts walking up the lowered ramp, stopping half-way up it with hands resting on her hips.

“Mando! Someone’s here to see you!” She shouts.

Siobhan’s heart pounds, rapidly pumping in her chest, echoing back in her ears as she waits. She hears footsteps coming louder than her heartbeat. Stars, she’s nervous.

“Hey! I told you to stay on the ship!” A low modulated voice scolds and Siobhan becomes confused. _Who is he talking to?_ Her concerns and nerves vanish when that feeling from earlier reappears, only heightened now.

Her eyes land on a waddling creature coming down the ramp, moving so fast it looks nothing more than a blur of green. It moves quickly. But not quick enough before the Mandalorian reaches down and snatches it up off the ground.

An inexplicable warmth surrounds her when she realizes it’s a _child_. Siobhan is entirely captivated as the small creature wiggles in the Mandalorian’s arms. The child coos at her, reaching out to her. Confused, the Mandalorian turns his stare to her and she’s reminded of the whole point of her journey.

She swallows down her nerves as she approaches. The Mandalorian stiffens, going tense, and Siobhan slows her pace, making sure to keep an appropriate distance. Another step might get a blaster shot through her if she wasn’t careful. He’s protective of the child, twisting his body to keep it out of her view like a shield.

The quiet lingers longer than she means for it to. She doesn’t know what to say, struggling to find an explanation for her appearance. Her planning might need some adjusting: following gut feelings and showing up with nothing to say is hardly working.

“Aren’t you too tall to be a Jawa?” The Mandalorian breaks the silence.

“Huh?” Siobhan tilts her head before she remembers she left her goggles on. She’s quick to push the Jawa goggles up along with her bangs, resting them on her forehead. She continues to unmask the face veil that covers half her face, tucking it into one of the pockets of her dark overalls.

“Oh, I’m not a Jawa. I’m human.” Siobhan clarifies, unable to keep her eyes from bouncing between the Mandalorian and the green creature. She doesn’t miss the way the Mandalorian’s fingers twitch. He’s probably going to shoot her if she doesn’t get to the point. 

“Are you here for the child then?”

“What? No, I didn’t even know about the kid. I’ve been looking for you forever.” Siobhan admits breathlessly, then blushes at how romantic that sounded. “Well, not _you_ in particular. I’ve been looking for a Mandalorian for a long time now.”

There’s a flutter of emotions that distracts her–happiness, curiosity, a touch of hunger–Siobhan realizes that these feelings aren’t hers and quirks her head towards the kid. The emotions become stronger, more prominent as if it’s being pushed to the front of her brain.

“I think your kid is getting hungry,” Siobhan announces, not tearing her eyes away from the small creature stirring in the Mandalorian’s arms. The kid loudly squeals, their little body shaking from excitement. It _is_ their emotions she’s feeling. _They’re like me_ , she thinks.

The Mandalorian’s silent stare lingers on her for what feels like an eternity before he tilts his head towards the kid. “How can you tell?”

“I just-I feel it?” She doesn’t mean to make it sound like a question, but she can’t explain it either. She’s never met anyone like her before. “I have some treats back on my ship, do you…Would you and your child like to have breakfast with me? We could stop at the market on the way and get some proper food if you like?”

The Mandalorian hesitates to answer before the mechanic from earlier reappears. “She’s offering you a free meal, Mando. Be stupid not to take it.”

“Do you know each other?” The Mandalorian asks.

Peli shakes her head. “No, never seen her in my entire life before, but heard stories. You’re that Tusken princess girl, aren’t ya?”

Heat flares up Siobhan’s face and she ducks her eyes as she nods. She knew people told stories about her around Tatooine after being taken in by the sand people. Some think that the Tusken kidnapped her. Others claim she’s royalty in the Tusken community. All of it was mere gossip and rumors. She doesn’t mind people calling her a Tusken, honored by it in fact, but the thought of being the talk of Tatooine is rather embarrassing.

“Tusken princess?” The Mandalorian questions, switching his gaze back onto her.

“That’s not-I’m Siobhan.” She thrusts a hand out between their bodies. Her face crinkles in delight when the only person to accept her handshake is the kid. Three green claws wrap around her finger and she beams.

Siobhan wags her arm exaggerating the handshake, careful enough not to lose the little creature’s hold on her finger. “I see you’re the person in charge here, huh? Alright, what do you think? You want some breakfast?”

She gets a very loud coo in response and she nods. “Okay, you heard the boss, Mr. Mandalorian. Let’s go.”

The kid laughs as if it’s the funniest thing they ever heard. Her cheek muscles ache from smiling so wide, but she can’t help it. The kid was adorable.

She peeks back up at the Mandalorian, biting her lower lip, all bright and hopeful. He just sighs and Siobhan takes it as a reluctant yes. She doesn’t refrain from bouncing on her toes, clapping her hands together as she leads them out of the hangar and towards the market close by. Before they enter the marketplace, she pushes her goggles down, and slips her veil back out from her pocket, quickly tying it around her face.

The Mandalorian doesn’t say anything while they wander through the streets, browsing different vendors. Despite the crowded market, with the Mandalorian by her side, not many would get too close. They steer clear of the two as if there was some sort of barrier preventing people from bumping into her. It’s not until Siobhan pauses in front of a vendor cart and examines some of the fruit in the wooden crates before he speaks.

“You mentioned you were looking for the Mandalorians.” He reminds her as she’s paying for the fruit. She drops some credits into the seller’s palms before picking out several fruits that she thinks the kid might enjoy and stuffing them in a bag.

“Oh! Yeah, for ages. It’s really an honor to meet you.” Siobhan turns around to face him. The Mandalorian doesn’t answer for a while, clearly caught off-guard by her statement.

“Why are you searching for us?”

“Well, I was hoping to learn from you,” Siobhan answers as she peels a green fruit she purchased before handing it to the kid. “I study cultures. Different races-”

“Mandalorian isn’t a race it’s a-”

“Creed. I know.” Siobhan finishes, smiling brightly. “I heard once of a Tusken that exchanged their mask for a Mandalorian helmet. Might just be a rumor though.”

She laughs when she notices the kid finishing their fruit, but they made such a mess. Green juices from the fruit coat around their mouth and cheeks. It blends with their skin tone and it probably would’ve gone unnoticed, but the sheen from the fruit shines under the bright suns of Tatooine.

Siobhan digs into her pockets, looking for some kind of cloth to wipe the kid’s face clean. Usually, she didn’t have to bother with this too often, given the children she’s around most frequently wore masks. But her overalls have tons of pockets and she kept pretty much everything in them. She finds a sentimental relic from Earth, an embroidered handkerchief that is typically used for dusting the sands off her palms. She gently dabs at the little creature’s cheeks, practically melting on the spot with its soft cooing.

“What’s its name?” Siobhan doesn’t look away from the kid as she diligently cleans their face.

“I-I’m not sure. I just call him kid.” The Mandalorian admits. “Or womp rat.”

Siobhan chuckles, “I can only imagine the kind of trouble he gets into, but he’s awfully cute. I’m sure he gets away with it most of the time.”

“Can you…Can you speak with him?”

Siobhan leans away from the kid, glancing around them and making sure none is listening in on their conversation. “We should talk about this back on my ship. C’mon.”

Siobhan leads the pair of them away from the market and towards where she parked her ship. She hears unintelligible babbles from behind her and modulated sighs. She has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at hearing the Mandalorian telling the kid to be patient and that he’ll get more food soon.

It’s not a long walk, but it isn’t a short one either. The Mandalorian doesn’t ask any more questions during the trip, seemingly understanding the need for privacy when discussing certain subjects. Her ship’s close to the spaceport but far enough away that people won’t come stumbling across them. They’re relatively safe, well as safe as one can be on Tatooine.

She can’t help but hem and haw once they reach her ship. A warm blush dusts across the bridge of her nose, turning her face pink. She’s glad that her goggles and veil hides most of it.

“Well, this is me.” She says before digging into one of her pockets. It takes a second to find the ship’s remote, but once she does she presses a button to lower the ramp of the ship. She’s not exactly embarrassed but she’s a _little_ curious what the Mandalorian must think of her, of her ship. It’s an oblong shape. It’s a weird and tiny-looking thing, but she loves it. Siobhan likes to think of the interior design of her ship as eclectic, if not a little funky in a fun kind of way. It’s stuffed to the brim with old Earth belongings. There’s an orange fuzzy rug under their feet and twinkle lights strung around the walls of the ship. There are boxes of trinkets (things to bargain and trade with the Jawas) pushed to the side and a cradle with a dangling butterflies mobile floating above from her childhood she kept (hoping that one day she might be lucky to have her own child to use it).

She found it, crashed in the middle of a junkyard and with the only credits she had at the time she repaired it the best she could. People tend to give double looks at her ship because she’s guessing no one else wanted such a small ship. She was charmed by the ship and thought it was funny how much it looked like a UFO. Back on Earth, the conspiracies would be flying. The joke never lands when she explains that though. More of an inside joke, she guesses.

It has enough space–barely–but they all fit under the roof–again barely. The Mandalorian has to duck his head when stepping through the opening and bend at the knees a little to keep from hitting the ceiling. Once they’re safely inside, she removes her goggles and veil, tucking them back in her front pocket.

“I’m so sorry.” Siobhan fidgets as she waves her hands around. “It’s just me…And you’re very tall. Much taller than I am.”

“It’s fine.”

“Um-Please take a seat.” Siobhan gestures to the large fuzzy rug. “I don’t have any chairs. I’m sorry I don’t have a chair for you. I should get some chairs. Usually don’t invite folks back to my ship.”

The Mandalorian lowers the child onto the orange rug and immediately he’s inspecting it. Little claw fingers rubbing over the fuzzy material, completely entranced by it. The Mandalorian, however, remains standing. “Why so nervous?”

Siobhan suddenly realizes how sketchy her behavior appears. _Oh! He must think this is a trap. Why would he think that?_ She apologizes and tries to explain as she sits down with the child, pulling the bag across her lap, and starts pulling out the different fruits she bought.

“Please, sit down.” Siobhan holds out one of the fruits, offering an olive branch for him to accept. She doesn’t expect him to eat it since he can’t remove his helmet, but save it for later or even feed it to the child. “I never dreamt of having a Mandalorian over for company. On My ship. It’s new for me-uh having someone in here, especially someone I respect. I never thought I’d actually get the chance to meet one of you.”

The kid doesn’t seem to have been listening to their conversation, instead, he spots the fruit and naturally assumes it’s for the taking. He swipes it right out of her hand. Siobhan stares at her empty palm for two long seconds before she bursts out laughing. Her shoulders shake and her eyes crinkle and all she can see is a blur of silver kneeling in front of her. 

“That wasn’t nice.” The Mandalorian scolds, radiating enough fatherly disapproval that the kid’s ears droop low. He pouts a little, big brown eyes dropping to the blue fruit in his three-fingered hands.

“It’s okay.” Siobhan reaches out to stroke an ear. His ears bounce right back up as he gurgles, little teeth poking out of his mouth as he smiles once more. “I bought this for you and your dad. You can have all the fruit you want, little one. Just make sure to share with your father, okay?”

“I’m…He’s not my son.” The Mandalorian corrects.

“Oh, my apologies. I just assumed-”

“He was a bounty first.” He explains. The reflection from the pink twinkle lights bounces off his helmet as he tilts his head ever-so-slightly towards the child. “Now he’s under my protection. There’s still a bounty on his head.”

_Oh_. Siobhan suddenly understands his apprehensive behavior towards her. He probably thought that she wanted to cash in the bounties on them. 

“I didn’t know…”

“I figured as much.”

She passes another fruit to the Mandalorian who accepts it, pausing first to remove his gloves. Siobhan catches a glimpse of golden, tan skin and forces her gaze away. She remembers his earlier question back at the market. “I can’t communicate with him, not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Seems like you’re doing a good job so far.” The Mandalorian peels the shell of the fruit with thick fingers. Once deshelled, the fruit falls apart in tiny sections in his palm. He passes one to the child. “You’re good with him. Do you have children of your own?”

“Um, no. Hopefully one day. But uh-no.” Siobhan shyly glances up at him. Heat returns to her face and she’s grateful for her choice in pink lighting. Everything looks as if it’s blushing inside her ship with the twinkle lights on.

“I babysit the Tusken children a lot whenever I visit Tatooine. I can’t claim them as my children but I do love them like they’re my own. But he’s different. He’s special. He feels…strong. Really strong.”

“There…are things he’s able to do.” The Mandalorian tells her, his tone cautious. “He has abilities that I’ve never seen before. I don’t understand it.”

“I’m not sure we’re the same exactly. I don’t think I share his abilities, but I…I can feel other people’s emotions. It’s rare when it happens. Honestly, I was shocked when I realized I could feel _his_.” Siobhan nods to the small child sitting between them.

The kid seems to realize they’re discussing him and looks up at them, large ears flopping to the side as he tilts his head. “Huh?”

Siobhan has only known this little creature for less than a day but already loves it dearly. The Mandalorian must have noticed her fond expression directed towards the kid. “Would you like to hold him?”

Her eyes shot up to the dark t-shaped visor, unknowingly meeting the Mandalorian’s gaze. “Oh, can I?!”

“Sure.” The Mandalorian shrugs.

Siobhan gets to her feet and holds out her arms and the kid squeals, running forward, practically jumping into her arms. She laughs again, delighted by his reaction, and brings him closer. One hand resting against his little back, the other on the back of his head.

“Hi, baby.” Siobhan murmurs, bouncing him a little. “I’ve seen a lot of children but I got to admit…You’re the most precious I’ve encountered…Don’t tell the others I said that.”

The child merely coos, burying his face against her neck. She gives his tiny green head a quick kiss.

The Mandalorian stands, not to his full height–mindful to avoid smacking his skull against the ceiling. He doesn’t move closer to them, just watching from a distance.

“What is all this?” He asks, visor turning away from their embrace towards the boxes. “Don’t think I’ve seen any of these items before.”

Siobhan cocks a hip out, shifting her weight with the child in her arms. He begins to squirm, readjusting in her hold and leaning back to face her directly. His little arms reach out, three-fingered hands patting her cheeks. She tries to answer between giggles, “I’m not surprised. Most of it is from back home.”

“I’ve been on Tatooine before and never-”

“Oh, I’m not from here,” Siobhan admits.

The Mandalorian pauses.

Siobhan can’t explain it, but she trusts him. It’s ridiculously too early and maybe she’s being naïve, but in all of her encounters for the most part– people have well intentions. She doesn’t have any reason not to trust him. Besides the sand people trust him. All she can feel from the kid is nothing but warmth and praise for the Mandalorian. He loves the Mandalorian. It’s enough to convince her.

“I’m from pretty far away,” Siobhan confesses. “Um, I don’t like to advertise it but-”

“You’re an Earthling.” Mando accurately guesses.

Siobhan nods, directing her attention back to the child in her arms, one who is distracted by her dark, curly hair. He tugs, not enough to hurt, but enough to cause the braid to start coming undone. She doesn’t mind. The Tusken children often like to play with her hair, trying to style it but it usually ends with more tangles than anything.

“When I first arrived here…” She starts, swallowing thickly. “I didn’t know any better. Didn’t know how rare earthlings were. How valuable certain…people found them. So, of course, it didn’t take long for trouble to find me, but the Tuskens saved me and they took me in and gave me a home.”

It’s not a story she tells. No one knows the actual truth, the only people to know about it are the Tuskens and now Mando and his child. She remembers the hot sand and the burning suns beating down on her skin, raw and blistering, as she ran and ran. Her throat feels tight as if something is lodged in there and she tries to swallow around it. Eyes stinging with fresh tears, she gives a watery laugh, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I understand.”

She smiles softly at the Mandalorian. There’s a comfortable silence that lingers right up until the kid wiggles out of her arms. He attempts to climb over her shoulder, reaching out with tiny hands, trying to grab something. She turns around to see what caught the kid’s attention. The only eye-catching item is the mobile. “Oh, do you like butterflies?”

Siobhan carefully lowers the baby into her old cradle. Immediately he’s in awe of the floating butterflies. It’s not until a shiny arm reaches out in her peripheral vision before she realizes the Mandalorian had moved. He pokes at the mobile, enough for the butterflies’ wings to flutter and spin, and the kid gasps, clapping his hands together.

“This was mine when I was a baby,” Siobhan informs him. The Mandalorian tilts his head in her direction, indicating that he’s listening even if he’s currently wiggling a finger between the butterflies at the child. “I don’t know why I kept it. Too sentimental I guess…I always hoped that when I start my own family, my kids could use it. With all the traveling for my studies, I’m not sure if that will happen, but I think I know someone who would love to have it.”

The Mandalorian straightens, catching on quickly. “Are you sure?”

“Of course, I mean if he doesn’t have one already.”

“He doesn’t.”

“Well, then he can have it.” Siobhan bites her lip as she faces him, loose braid falling over her shoulder, “Is it bad that I would do anything for this kid and I just met him today?”

The Mandalorian sighs. “He has that effect on people. Thank you. In exchange for your kindness, what would you like to know about the Mandalorians?”

“A discussion for another day, if you ever come back to Tatooine or if our paths cross sooner, we can talk then. It was a privilege getting to meet you, Mr. Mandalorian.”

He coughs and Siobhan almost thinks he might be embarrassed, “Mando’s fine.”

Siobhan nods, gently lifting the child out of the cradle, “I’ll walk you back to your ship if that’s alright? There’s a lot to carry and you already have your hands full with this cutie.”

“Thank you. You’re…very kind”

“That’s sweet, but I’m afraid I have very selfish intentions,” Siobhan grins, hugging the child closer. “I don’t want to say goodbye to him just yet.”

Siobhan ignores how easily Mando seems to lift both the heavy bag of fruits and the cradle, tossing each one over his shoulders, not even breaking a sweat despite the heat. He’s strong. She tries not to imagine the Mandalorian lifting _her_ up. How easy it would be for him. She shakes the image away, her face heating up and she blames it on Tatooine’s humidity. She doesn’t bother slipping back on the goggles or the face veil, something she never forgets to wear when traveling outside the Tusken settlement. Though she’s only just met the Mandalorian, and had known him even less than a day, she feels safe with him. The same gut instinct she had when she first met the Tuskens settles over her as they walk back towards the spaceport together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had previously posted this part before but deleted it and then rewrote the fic so if this chapter seems familiar that's why lol


	3. part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another time skip. this chapter starts at the very beginning of s2 episode 1.

_The krayt dragon is getting worse_ , Siobhan thinks to herself as Tatooine shudders from the force of the dragon shifting. She was in the middle of walking over to where the rest of the Tuskens were gathered when the earthquake hit and she trips, gait off-balanced from the vibrations, but thankfully one of the Tuskens reaches out and catches her before she falls flat on her face.

It’s no surprise when she realizes which Tusken it is, Ka Srarq. The first Tusken she ever met, the one that rescued her from being sold to some Earthling slave ring. She takes the opportunity for a quick hug, never one to pass the chance up. She gives a squeeze around the Tusken’s waist, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“Thank you.” She murmurs against his tan robes. A gloved hand gently pats the back of her head and she hides her smile against him. It’s sweet how he practically adopted her and how much he takes care of her as if she was biologically his. Ka keeps his arm around her shoulders while they join the others.

Tatooine quivers again. Siobhan glances worriedly at her father figure. They feed it, hoping to bay the krayt dragon’s appetite with a bantha each day, but Siobhan worries that the dragon’s appetite will outgrow their offerings.

It shakes the sands off the top of the tents whenever it strikes. It feels as if the whole planet is trembling, like her bones are rattling when the krayt dragon’s afoot.

_I got a bad feeling about this_. Siobhan thinks.

✦ ✦ ✦

  
It’s not that Siobhan forgets about the Mandalorian’s promise to return. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It weighs on the back of her mind each night as she watches the purple horizon, the two suns kissing the sky goodnight. Siobhan sits outside her tent with the lavender haze gently washing over her, caressing her tan skin. The sands of Tatooine at dusk cools, enough that she can slip her sandals off without burning the soles of her feet. She buries her toes into the cold sand and pretends she’s not waiting.

The sand makes it easy to sneak upon someone on Tatooine. Tuskens often uses this to their advantage. Siobhan thought she’d be used to it by now, but she still startles as she catches someone in her peripheral vision. It’s an automatic reaction, not a logical one considering where she is currently. She’s safe. No outsider would dare to trespass on Tusken territory. Siobhan relaxes once she realizes it’s only her second father, Slu Srarq. 

Her fathers were the most respected members of the tribe. Ka, the Tusken that rescued her and adopted her was the tribe leader. His husband, Slu, was the storyteller of the tribe. Learning about the history of the Tuskens and other clans was Slu’s responsibility. Each night he crafted and weaved stories from before around the campfire. Out of all of the Tuskens, Slu knew more about Tatooine and other cultures and groups of species. Everything Siobhan knows is from Slu and their many conservations about space. It was him who told her about the Mandalorian’s presence.

_Hi, dad._ She signs, a gentle smile curving the corners of her mouth. _Where’s papa?_

Slu tilts his head slightly, nodding behind him, signing back. _Still working on plans to keep the dragon sated. What’s wrong, little star?_

_Am I that obvious?_ Siobhan laughs. 

_Yes._

_Well, it’s much easier to be stoic when you’re masked and covered head-to-toe in beige._ Siobhan gestures at him and he barks out a laugh.

Slu joins her in the sand, sitting beside her. He extends a gloved finger and pushes aside a strand of curly hair so he can poke right at the wrinkle between her eyes. A crease that always forms whenever she is stressed. Siobhan chuckles and bats his hand away. 

_Alright, I’m worried about the krayt dragon. I just…I have a feeling it’s going to get worse. I can’t explain why but I do._

_We’ll protect you. You needn’t worry about the dragon. We will always keep you safe._ Slu assures her though she had never doubted this. What scares her is everything she could lose to the dragon. It’s a threat to her entire clan. It could wipe them all out. 

Ever since she learned of the dragon, her visits to Tatooine have lasted longer and longer. She fears something happening while she’s away. She couldn’t risk it, she’d rather face the krayt dragon alone than lose her family. 

_You haven’t returned to the stars in a while._ Slu notes. 

She’s not exactly following in Slu’s footsteps in becoming a storyteller, not quite his apprentice, but her travel brings new stories to tell. Whenever she returns home Slu encourages her to speak of her adventures to the Tusken children. She’s theatrical in her storytelling, exaggerating the truth a little to make it more exciting for the children. She acts out her stories, using anything in the settlement as a prop. She loves it, enjoys watching the Tusken children react to her journeys. 

Siobhan shakes her head. “I can’t go back. Not until I know it’s safe here.” 

Slu was one of the few Tuskens that could speak her home language, though it wasn’t often that he did. He could speak most languages, even taught her a few.

She doesn’t hear his voice frequently, except whenever he speaks in Tusken language. She knows his grunts and hollering, but rarely gets to hear him speak in her native tongue. It’s rough, his voice, almost sounding hoarse and raw. She thinks it’s from the lack of use or the strain from shouting. 

“We…W-We must not…risk…the-the wrath of the skies, little star.” Slu coughs harshly and Siobhan swallows, watching how much effort it takes for him to speak. “You-You are a gift from the stars. You…You m-must return to them. It’s where you belong, but you can always…always come home to us.” 

Her eyes water and everything turns blurry. She crashes sideways, into him, tossing her arms around Slu’s neck. He seemed to expect such a reaction, catching her easily and patting her back. 

“I love you, dad.” Siobhan whispers against his shoulder. 

“L-Love you too, little star.”

  
✦ ✦ ✦

Her fingers slip between the fabrics of the different gowns hanging up on the clothing rack she has off to the side in her ship. She’s torn between two of the dresses. Siobhan holds each dress against her, looking forward at her reflection in the rectangle-shaped mirror hanging across from her. There’s a pale yellow dress, soft fabric that long sleeves sits off her shoulders. She’s fond of wearing it whenever she gets the chance to. It’s light and flowy which is great for combating Tatooine’s heat. But tonight the children were expecting bedtime stories and she wanted to dress for the part. 

Tonight, she decides, she’ll introduce them to one of her favorite Earth stories she read when she was a little girl. _The Princess Bride._ It has a little bit of everything: adventure, romance, betrayal, and pirates. She thinks the Tusken children will enjoy it. 

There’s a midnight blue gown Siobhan had bought on a whim, but never worn–never quite having a reason to. It’s more formal than anything else in her closet with its lacy sleeves that extend down her arms. The lower half of the dress is nothing but sheer tulle. She doesn’t bother slipping on any shoes. The soles of her feet constantly dust with sand from how much she walks around the settlement barefoot. 

Siobhan can’t resist choosing the more formal gown, quickly slipping it on before she changes her mind. She stares at herself in the mirror, the pink lighting making her tan skin appear flushed. Siobhan spins around, a hand fisted in the side of the dress, making the tulle lift in the air as she moves. Spinning leaves her borderline dizzy and she lets go of the tulle, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead, smashing down her curly bangs in the process. She breathes. Something tingles in the back of her head, a familiar sensation, but she merely shakes her head at herself as the emotions swirl in her gut. 

She’s not expecting an audience already gathered around her ship as the ramp lowers. She laughs at the sight of the masked Tusken children huddled at the bottom of the ship ramp. She can’t see their faces, but their body language is enough to know their expression. How they start making praising sounds as the rushes up the ramp towards her. They’re hollering and hooting so fast that Siobhan has trouble distinguishing their noises, unable to translate except for a few words here and there as they speak all at once. One of the kids grabs her hand in theirs, holding it while they walk down the ship’s ramp. Her free hand quickly gets claimed by another Tusken child.

She has trouble keeping up with the rambunctious group. They’re all so excited, some even walking backwards ahead of her so they could still directly face her, most of them shouting over each other. She can’t help but grin at their energy. 

_You look so pretty!_ One of the children in front of her signs. 

_Yeah!_ A few more of the kids agree. _You look right out of a fairytale!_

She beams at the compliments and grunts out a thank you in the Tusken language since her hands were too occupied to sign back to them. Her fathers had laughed the first time she attempted their language. Her voice was too sweet, too soft spoken, but she practiced and practiced until she could produce the guttural sounds. Now, she was pretty fluent, but she still preferred signing. It hurts her throat a lot less.

The children rush forward, tugging her along, chanting in Tusken excitedly. Siobhan doesn’t even notice passing the campfire where the older Tuskens sit, doesn’t see a t-shaped visor staring after her while the children pull her forward towards their tents.

There’s a section of the settlement dedicated for the kids–essentially a play area for them. It’s where she recites and reenacts stories for them. Siobhan had a hand in decorating the area, a long scarlet rug with fringes at the corners she bought at a street market on Naboo. It usually gets coated with sand by the end of the night, but she doesn’t mind beating it clean the following morning. It’s where the children all sit while she tells them fantastical stories. There are wood posts all around them, lit with fire, that carries warmth and a flickering soft glow that’s bright enough to illuminate for them to see each other clearly. There’s one tent beside the play area that’s filled with toys and books Siobhan have bought back home for them specifically. She wanted to make the play area special and for it to be similar to the children’s storytime areas in libraries in her youth back on Earth. 

The children gather around her on the rug, rushing forward to get a good spot, she has to scold some of the kids for pushing and shoving the others, but they all quickly settle with their chins in their hands, eagerly waiting for her to begin.

By the end of it, Siobhan’s throat will ache. It’s almost a work-out with the way she jumps around, reenacting the story she tells. She finds a stick and pretends it’s a mighty sword, swatting at the air like she’s in some sword fight. The children _love_ it, and they take a quick break from the story when one of the children jumps in with a stick of their own.

“A challenger, huh?” Siobhan grunts out in the Tusken language. “Think you can defeat me, do you?” 

The child giggles and nods and it takes everything for Siobhan to stay in character, even though she breaks a little as her mouth twitches. She fights back the smile, “Well then, we shall see just who will be the winner. ON GUARD!” 

At first, Siobhan will put up _some_ effort, although not much. She mostly jumps backward, dodging the child’s quick swipes, before she lunges with her own, much more exaggerated and seemingly missing every time. All the children are laughing up a storm as Siobhan pretends to be clumsy, tripping over sand and missing her target with every swing of her “sword”.

It’s not until she’s out of breath before she’ll let the child get a good hit on her side. She quickly catches the end of the stick, pulling it so it sticks out of her underarm. She stumbles, pretending to gasp. 

“Oh!” Siobhan grunts, falling to one knee “You’ve defeated me!” 

The kid laughs and the other children cheer, jumping up to their feet and waving tiny arms over their heads. They’re distracted now, all of them taking turns with the sticks and sword fighting.

She moves to get to her feet when a gloved hand reaches out. Siobhan blinks at it, surprised, before she tilts her head up and sees the shiny Mandalorian before her. _Her_ Mandalorian.

“Hi.” She breathes out. 

It’s been quite some time since she last saw the Mandalorian and his child. She almost thought he must have forgotten about their short encounter, but their paths are finally crossing again. 

Siobhan continues to stare up at him until he nods and she realizes she hasn’t taken his hand yet. She quickly grabs it, feeling the warmth of his hand through the leather. She doesn’t let go of it even when he practically lifts her to her feet, too stunned at his sudden arrival.

“What…” Siobhan starts, glancing back at the children before facing him again, having to tilt her head up a little for her eyes to meet the dark visor. “What are you doing here?” 

“Needed some directions. Your clan helped.” The Mandalorian explains. 

Siobhan stands a little taller after hearing that, proud of her family. They must respect the Mandalorian too. “Did you come alone? Is the child alright?” 

“He’s resting.” The Mandalorian nods towards his speeder bike parked next to the campfire. There’s a brown bag resting in the back. Siobhan assumes it where the child sleeps.

“He’d be disappointed to miss your performance.” His voice is light, still a low rasp but there’s something else to his tone. He almost sounds like he’s teasing. 

Siobhan groans, covering her eyes with her free hand. “You saw that?” 

“I did.” The Mandalorian softly laughs, a quiet huff through the vocoder in his helmet. “You’re good with them.” 

Siobhan ducks her head, warmth blooming in her cheeks. Her eyes drop down to their hands, seeing their fingers still interlace together. Siobhan’s face reddens and she apologizes profusely. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize–I’m so used to holding their hands.” Siobhan turns her head back to the Tusken children. Some of them are dozing off, leaning against one another. Some are still playing, but she can tell in their movements they’re starting to get tired. It’s time for bed.

She reaches her hands out, palms falling against the Mandalorian’s forearms. The cold beskar soothes her flushed skin. “I have to put the children to bed, but um…wait for me?” 

The Mandalorian nods.

Siobhan gives Mando another glance as if he’s about to disappear once she looks away. She smiles softly at him before turning her attention towards the children. 

_Come on, my loves. It’s time for bed._ Siobhan signs before lifting a sleeping child into her arms. They immediately cling to her, resting their head against her shoulder as she carries them into their tent. When she exits the tent, she spots a sleepy child trying to remove their mask. 

She rushes towards them, catching their tiny wrists in hers and gently pulling their arms away from their mask. “Oh, no, baby. You can’t take that off just yet. Come on, let’s get you inside.” 

She guides the rest of the children back into their tents, making sure their masks are hung up before they’re tucked away in their cots. Siobhan keeps throwing glances at the Mandalorian while she’s carrying the kids. He’s leaning against a post, watching her. Heat returns, creeping up her neck under his gaze. 

Once the last child has been put to bed, Siobhan lingers before the entryway of the tent. Instead of exiting just yet, she inhales deeply. She doesn’t understand why she’s so nervous. Butterflies fly, swarming in her stomach, coming back up her throat and she has to swallow them down.

Siobhan has always thought Tatooine was beautiful, even though the heat left little to be desired. It’s hard not to be enchanted by it after seeing the wide, open skies. The burning sunsets at dusk, a mixture of swirling colors: purple and pink hues. The glow of the stars, twinkling against the midnight skies. Tatooine has three moons that float above them, lighting her path easily as she finally works up the courage to step out of the tent. Her bare feet meet cool sand and the soft, night breeze lifts the hem of her dress, causing it to blow in the wind as she walks. The Mandalorian hasn’t taken his eyes off her. 

The butterflies return, fluttering their wings inside her chest. Her heart skipping beats as she closes the distance between her and the Mandalorian.

“Hi again.” She greets tenderly. So soft spoken that she’s afraid the Mandalorian hadn’t heard her, but he gives a small nod. 

“The children…They can’t take their masks off?” 

Siobhan shakes her head, “It’s forbidden in front of outsiders, but they can around other members of the tribe. I don’t even think they realized you were here, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten them to bed so easily.”

Siobhan expects the question. The question she usually gets as soon as someone finds out she has seen a Tusken’s face. _What do they look like under there?_ But the question never comes. Instead, the Mandalorian’s quiet for a while before he speaks. “I was about their age when I took the creed.”

Siobhan pauses, “You weren’t born Mandalorian?” 

“I was a foundling. The Mandalorian’s rescued me as a child.” 

_Oh_. There’s differences in their stories to make them not quite the same, but Siobhan can’t help but notice the similarities between them. Both rescued from awful fates. She wasn’t a child when the Tuskens found her, but they accepted her as one of their own, and gave her a new family. The Mandalorian must understand how she feels about her clan, because he’s experienced it too.

“So the child…” 

“He’s my foundling.” The Mandalorian finishes her thought. “He’s safe now, but I’ve been quested to return him to his people.” 

Her respect for the Mandalorian grows even more. “In all my travels, I’ve never seen such a creature, but I can ask around. See if I can learn anything about him?” 

“Thank you. You’re-You’re extremely kind. I still owe you a debt-” 

Siobhan cuts him off, grabbing both of his hands in hers. The leather gloves are cool to the touch, chilled from the night’s air. She knows he probably can’t feel it through the material but she strokes her thumbs over his hands. “Please, you owe me nothing. I only ask for your friendship.” 

She thinks he’s going to refuse given how quiet he gets. The silence grows and Siobhan, embarrassed, begins to drop his hands and step backward, wanting to apologize for overstepping, but the Mandalorian shifts his hands, gloved fingers wrapping around her wrists, keeping her there in place.

Siobhan glances up at him, tearing her eyes away from the sight of his hands on hers–how large they seem compared to her hands. 

“I would like that.” The Mandalorian coughs out. “You’re-You’re good with the child and-” 

They both startled when they hear the shout, jumping backwards and dropping each other’s hands as if they’ve been burned. Siobhan’s head swivels, twisting her neck and spotting her two fathers approaching them, one of them carrying the kid. 

He’s awake, blinking his big eyes at his surroundings, taking everything in. He doesn’t appear bothered by the Tuskens holding him, entirely unfazed. 

_You must be our little star’s Mandalorian then._ Ka signs and the Mandalorian turns to look at her. Siobhan grimaces, closing her eyes and prays for Tatooine to open up on the spot, wishes for the krayt dragon to appear and swallow her whole.

_She speaks of you a lot, Mandalorian._ Her father keeps going either unaware of the crisis he’s creating or simply doesn’t care.

_Papa!_ Siobhan signs back, but her scolding goes ignored. The Tusken merely hands over the green child to her. At least it gives her an excuse to avoid the Mandalorian’s curious gaze.

“Hi baby.” She softly says. “Do you remember me?” 

He coos, placing both hands against her cheeks, and for a moment she feels a swell of emotion building–recognition and happiness. Her mouth splits into a large smile, making the corner of her eyes crinkle from it.

_We found him chasing after a lizard. He caught it quickly and consumed it. He’s young, but I can see his potential already. He would make a fine Tusken._

While her father praises the child, Siobhan’s eyes widen. “Is that…typical for his diet?” she asks the Mandalorian.

“Unfortunately, yes.” The Mandalorian whispers to her, before he turns his attention back to her father. He signs a thank you for his words. Siobhan tries to ignore how _good_ he is at this, interacting with her people. It’s almost natural for him, respectfully conversing with the Tuskens. The Tusken setting suits him. 

_Little star, please escort the Mandalorian and his child to a tent. He’s welcome to stay here for the evening if he so wishes._ Her other father, Slu, signs.

“Would you care to stay?” Siobhan turns to the Mandalorian, absently kissing the top of the child’s head.

The Mandalorian stares at her for a lingering second, before turning back to her fathers. He quickly signs how grateful he is for their offer and accepts to stay the night at the Tusken settlement.


	4. part three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> starts directly after previous chapter. still set during episode one of s2.

“I thought you said you weren’t a princess.” 

Siobhan whips her head around to gawk at the Mandalorian. It had been a quiet walk for the most part, except for the sounds of the child breaking the silence in between. They were nearing the tents. Of course the only available tent happened to be next to hers. She thinks her fathers did this on purpose.

“I’m-I’m not.” 

“Your fathers.” The Mandalorian explains. “They’re the most respected members in a Tusken clan. The tribe leader and the storyteller.” 

“So that makes me a princess? You also thought I was a Jawa when you first met me.” Siobhan teases.

“You _were_ wearing Jawa goggles.” 

“Yeah, cause I traded a turntable for them. I don’t still look like a Jawa now, do I?”

The Mandalorian’s shake his head, huffing in amusement. “No, not quite, but I can understand why you get mistaken for a princess. You _do_ look like one.” 

Siobhan trips, arms tightening around the child, and heat settles in her cheeks, spreading warmth down to her chest. Not even the chill of the desert night can cool her down. She’s too flustered to speak. The silence stretches across them, across the sands, it lasts until they stop in front of an empty tent.

They just stand there, neither one speaking just yet until the child tugs on Siobhan’s hair, earning her attention. He tilts his head to the side, ears flopping over, staring up at her and she gently smiles at him. Something in her causes her to speak out. 

“You could stay here for as long as you want.” Siobhan blurts out. “The clan won’t mind and I’m sure the children would be eager to meet you and the kid.”

“I...I can’t stay for long. I have business in Mos Pelgo concerning the child’s people.” 

“Oh…” Siobhan tries not to appear too disappointed. Still, her attempts fail as her shoulders slump at the news. “Well then, the invitation is always open.” 

The Mandalorian nods, “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Siobhan gives the child one last kiss to his head before handing him back over to his father. “Goodnight, Mando.” She smiles and starts moving towards her own tent. She almost didn't catch his response.

“Goodnight, princess.”

Siobhan stumbles in the opening of her tent, falling head-first inside after hearing the nickname from the Mandalorian.

When dawn breaks Siobhan pushes the flaps of her tent open, squinting at the morning light. Tatooine’s mornings are too bright and already balmy. She glances over at the tent next to her, eyeing it as she bites on her bottom lip. She pauses, wondering if she should go over there, but decides against it. If the Mandalorian hadn’t already left the settlement, then he should be allowed the courtesy of sleeping in. Something Siobhan has a gut feeling is a luxury for the clan of two. 

She had changed out of the blue dress the night before and into a short, thin nightgown she kept folded away in her tent, the perfect pajamas for Tatooine’s temperatures. It’s gray with thin spaghetti straps and pink flowers all over--flowers that aren't on most planets in space, only back on Earth. The blue gown she wore the previous evening is draped over her arm as she heads towards her ship first thing in the morning.

Siobhan isn’t in any rush to get to her ship, still half-asleep with eyes barely open. She spots a few Tusken already awake and at work and she waves at them with a big yawn. She rubs at her eyes, groaning as she realizes that she had left her ramp down all-night. Sighing, Siobhan staggers up the ramp of her ship. 

She doesn’t bother raising the ramp back up. She’s too sleepy to care.

Siobhan gives a quick once over of the ship--nothing appears to be missing thankfully. She wasn’t too worried given that they’re on Tusken territory afterall and even Jawas keep their distance, not wanting to disrupt the peace treaty between the two parties. 

She dips her head inside her closet, grabbing the first thing she sees off the clothing rack: a green jumpsuit and sets it aside. Siobhan moves to stand in front of the mirror and finds her hair’s a mess. Curly with tangles and bordering on wild, she tries to brush her fingers through it with no improvement. She bends over, snatching a hair scrunchie off the floor of her ship. It’s then she hears a little pitter-patter of footsteps coming from behind her, coming up the lowered ramp. 

“Hey!” Siobhan hears the gruff voice of the Mandalorian and she grins as the child pops in the entryway of her ship. Mando’s not too far behind, quickly swiping the kid up in his arms as he enters her ship too. 

He freezes when he finally notices Siobhan. She doesn’t think she has ever seen anyone stand so still before, almost looking like some statue someone had carved and left in Siobhan’s ship for decoration. If she wasn’t so tired, she’d probably notice exactly why the Mandalorian seemed so flustered. Her arms are lifted over her head, fingers buried in her hair as she sweeps it up into a messy bun. She doesn’t realize that the movement causes her short nightgown to rise even further up her thighs. 

The Mandalorian stutters, “I-He-I’m sorry. The little womp rat was trying to find you and wouldn’t wait.” 

“It’s okay.” Siobhan assures him and turns her sleepy gaze to the child. “Were you looking for me, baby?” 

She reaches out and the child wiggles out of the Mandalorian’s arms. He sighs, a long suffering one she’s growing used to hearing. She can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“He’s impatient. I have to teach him better.” 

Siobhan scoops the child up in her arms, giving him a bunch of morning kisses all over his head and hearing him giggle. “I’m actually happy you're here, I was worried I wouldn’t get to say goodbye before you left.” 

“I think he would’ve thrown a tantrum if we had.” 

Her heart melts just from hearing that. How much she means to the child even though they hadn’t known each other _that_ long. Siobhan gazes at the child fondly. “Well, if it’s alright with your daddy, maybe you could spend another night here one day soon. We could have a sleepover with the other children!” 

She bounces the child in her arm as she turns to face the Mandalorian, smiling wide and hopeful at him. 

“S-Sure.” 

Siobhan doesn’t notice his stuttering, instead she lifts the child into the air and cheers, spinning around as she brings the child back down to her chest and snuggles him close. “Oh! I could show you the mastiffs, you’d love them, little one.” 

“We need to get going.” The Mandalorian tells her, almost reluctant to break up this moment between her and the child. 

Siobhan blows a raspberry at the news, making the child crack up with laughter. She grins as the kid tries to imitate the noise, but doesn’t quite succeed. Siobhan steps closer to the Mandalorian and hands over the child. 

“You’ll come back sooner than last time?” Siobhan can’t help but ask. She barely got to spend time with either one of them and now they were leaving again. She doesn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

“I’ll try my best. As soon as I’m finished at Mos Pelgo, I’ll see if we can return.” 

Siobhan nods, satisfied enough. She knows it’s the best he can promise given how busy he is with his quest. She reaches a finger out for the kid to grab and hold onto as she gazes up at the Mandalorian. “Please, be careful. We’ve had some trouble in the past with the settlers of Mos Pelgo. I don’t trust them not to shoot first and ask questions later. I mean...I know you’re, well, _you_. You can take care of yourself but-” 

“You’re worried.”

Siobhan nods and swallows down any words she might’ve had as the Mandalorian does something entirely unexpected. He reaches a gloved hand out towards her, tucking a strand of loose hair that slipped out of place and behind her ear. 

She just stares at him, eyes wide, and completely breathless. She doesn’t expect the gentle touch and she doesn’t think that the Mandalorian did either. His arm snaps down to his side and he coughs out, “We’ll be fine, princess.”

The little one provides a distraction from her reeling and from Mando’s embarrassment, reaching out to her in the same manner his father did. He lets go of the finger he had been holding only to try to tuck another strand of her hair behind her ear. Siobhan bursts into laughter, breaking the awkward tension. He makes a little noise as the piece of hair doesn’t seem to stay in place and tries again. 

“Thank you, buddy. I appreciate that.” 

The Mandalorian’s quick to leave soon afterward, saying a gruff goodbye before he takes his exit. The kid peers over his shoulder as the Mandalorian practically flees down the ramp, waving a little green hand at her and she smiles and waves back. 

Siobhan exhales long and shaky as if she had been holding her breath. She brings her fingertips up to her face, tracing along the same area the Mandalorian’s leather gloves grazed, trailing over the shell of her ear. Siobhan shakes her head, snapping out of the moment, and turns to get dressed and ready for what the day might bring.

✦ ✦ ✦

When Siobhan first arrived at the Tusken settlement, the mastiffs were the strangest looking animals she had ever seen. They weren’t quite dogs--having no fur, but rather some kind of hybrid between dogs and reptiles. She was frightened of them up until she saw how lovable they were, giving her several kisses and rolling over onto their backs for belly-rubs. She _adores_ them with all their spikes and leathery skin. 

Technically she’s been banned from joining the daily patrols around the outskirts of the settlement--well, at least the ones where the mastiffs are involved. 

It’s always _no, Siobhan, stop spoiling the dogs_ and _stop distracting the dogs, Siobhan._ It’s never wow, Siobhan, you really do love those dogs, huh. You’d make the perfect, dedicated pet owner. It’s never that.

Her fathers are the ones surveying today which _means_ that with enough pleading and begging she’ll be able to join along the surveillance under a few conditions. 

_No distractions._ Ka reminds her. _The dogs are meant to be working, you spoiled them too much. They’ll get lazy._

 _I promise I will try not to distract them, but can you really blame me, father?_ Siobhan signs before gesturing to one of the drooling mastiffs. _Look at them. How could you not want to give her everything she wants and more. I can’t help it, she's the cutest puppy in the universe._

Her father doesn’t grunt, doesn’t make any of the typical Tusken noises. He merely shakes his head and continues ahead of her which makes Siobhan snap her head towards her other dad with wide eyes and an equally big grin on her face.

She can’t see it, but she knows, deep, deep, down that Slu is smiling behind his mask. 

_He knows it’s a lost cause._ Slu tells her and she can see the way his shoulders tremble like he’s stifling laughter. 

_But I’m your two’s favorite lost cause._ Siobhan’s grin only widens. Sitting in the pockets of her olive jumpsuit is a bag of jerky she plucked from her ship. If she’s caught she’ll pretend it’s a snack for her, but really it’s for the mastiffs.

Before they start, Siobhan puts on her goggles, lens glowing red whenever they reflect brightly off the suns, and quickly wraps the black sheer veil across her mouth, keeping her face covered and protected from the harsh light and hot sands of Tatooine. She waits about ten minutes into the walk before Siobhan is slipping her hand into her pocket, sneakily passing out a thick piece of jerky to the closest dog near her. She peers around, checking to see if any of the other Tuskens caught her and so far they hadn’t. Yet, at least. 

Her boots leave footprints in the sand as she falls behind the rest of the Tuskens. The path they walk carved between rocky boulders and hills. Everything is drenched in sand. It almost reminds Siobhan of her first day on Tatooine, being lost in the valleys, but she knows no danger will come to her, not now while she’s walking among the Sand people. They all have weapons strapped and slung across their backs, cutting a threatening figure to any passersby. 

There’s one mastiff that’s trailing beside her, away from the others, and she bends down to scratch behind his ear. 

“Do you want some jerky, cutie?” Siobhan whispers as she digs in her pocket for a piece. The dog goes to snatch the meat right out of her fingertips but Siobhan’s quick to pull her arm back. “Can you sit first? I’ll give you this if you sit first.” 

The mastiff stares at her with his tongue lolling out of its mouth. She tries again, pointing her finger at the ground. “Sit, please.” 

The dog follows the piece of meat as she guides it downward and he listens, plobs right down in the sand. 

“Good job!” Siobhan praises before tossing the jerky up in the air and the mastiff leaps and catches it, chewing on it happily. 

It’s then she hears the growling from the other mastiffs and Siobhan shoots straight up, alarmed. She quickens her pace, hurrying over to the other Tuskens that stood, waiting to act, behind a large boulder. Her fingers clutches at the robes of her father, squeezing the fabric until her knuckles are white, worried of what might be creeping around the corner. 

But then she hears it. A shout in Tusken that’s directed to the dogs. It’s a command calling them off their hunt. Her grip loosens on her father’s robe and she follows the sand people, stepping out into the open. 

She spots the Mandalorian, kneeling in the sand and petting one of the mastiffs, and she smiles behind her veil. She wants to go directly over, to tease him about how soon he came back, but he’s busy talking with her fathers, negotiating from the looks of it. Behind him stands another man, face uncovered despite the rough mandalorian armor resting over his chest, and their speeder bikes. 

She spots the child. A brown saddle bag sits on the back of the bike and two green ears are sticking out of it. He peeks out slowly, inching out further and further into view. It doesn’t take long for his big eyes to lock on her. His reaction is instant, his mouth splits wide, little teeth showing as he smiles at her and he’s hurrying out of the bag. 

He’s a fast little thing, hopping down from the speeder with a tiny _oomph_ escaping him as he lands against the sand. The child doesn’t seem hurt though. He waddles in between the two parties, unconcerned and unbothered with the conversation taking place. The Mandalorian is in the middle of signing something to the Tuskens when he realizes his kid is moving. His helmet tilts upward as he follows the kid’s trajectory and he spots Siobhan, the kid’s target, Mando returns his attention to the sand people, finishing up his conversation.

Warmth blooms in her chest at the clear sign of trust he holds for her with the child. She crouches down, holding out her arms for the little guy and he barrels right into her. 

Siobhan is halfway paying attention to the conversation, she knows it’s important, but most of her focus is on the kid in her arms. She sits down right in the sand, not particularly caring that the backside of her jumpsuit will be dusty. She props him up against her side, letting him sit on her thigh and lean against her as she digs out some jerky from her pocket. 

“Are you hungry, sweetheart?” Siobhan holds out a piece for the little guy to take between his claws. 

The baby practically inhales it, chewing happily, and burps when he finishes. It shouldn’t be as cute as it is, but everything about the kid is pretty adorable. 

One of the mastiffs starts sniffing the air, nose falling to the sand and making her way over to them. The child babbles at the dog approaching, pointing a tiny claw, and he looks up at Siobhan.

“Yeah, buddy, you’re right! That’s one of the dogs I was telling you about this morning.” 

The dog keeps following the jerky scent until she stops right in front of them, wiggling a bit. Her long nose sniffs at the baby and he coos, inching back, but Siobhan kisses his wrinkled head, whispering assurances. “It’s okay, baby. You just have to be gentle with each other.” 

The child reaches a small hand out towards the dog and gingerly pats her nose. It’s wet which makes the particles of sand cling to it and transfers over to his tiny palm. The dog barks, cheerfully, and the kid babbles even louder. 

“Wanna give her a treat?” Siobhan asks, turning her head to the kid. He blinks when she hands him another piece of jerky, looking at it and her before he shoves it in his mouth. Siobhan can’t help but burst into laughter. 

“N-No, baby.” Siobhan giggles. “Here let’s try it together, ok?” 

Together they both hold the piece out for the mastiff to take. The dog swallows it in one bite, licking their fingers with her long tongue in the process and making the child laugh. 

“They want to kill the krayt dragon too.” 

Siobhan sharply looks up when she hears those words being spoken by the Mandalorian. He’s facing the man he arrived with, but when he turns back around his helmet’s tilted in her direction. She can’t tell where his eyes are, what he’s looking at with certainty, but she thinks he’s watching her and the child so she smiles just in case.

Her suspicions are correct as the Mandalorian and his friend saunters over to her. Her eyes barely shift away from Mando as she rises to her feet, still holding the kid close. She pushes up her goggles when they stop in front of her.

“You know when I said I hope you’d come back sooner this morning, I wasn’t expecting _so_ soon.” Siobhan teases him and earns a quiet huff in return.

“Things went a little unexpected.” 

Siobhan goes to tease him some more but Mando’s companion interrupts before she gets the chance. 

“So you must be the missus.” He grins, holding out a hand for her to shake. “I’m assuming the little guy takes more after the dad then.” 

She blinks, still processing his words. Her face erupts like lava spilling out of a volcano, blushing bright red from her hairline to the tip of her nose as she realizes what he called her. He thinks that she is Mando’s _wife_. 

“She-” 

“I’m-” 

Siobhan turns, wide-eyed and flushed, towards the Mandalorian. She’s sputtering, mouth opening and closing hard enough that her teeth clack together. 

Mando stares at her for a long second before he faces the man and clarifies, “She’s a friend.”

The silver-head man hums, looking between the two of them, like he doesn’t quite believe that. “Apologies then, just assume with how the little one acted with you that you were its mama.”

“Prince-Siobhan.” Mando coughs out. “This is Cobb Vanth. Marshal of Mos Pelgo.” 

As soon as Siobhan hears his title, her smile dims as she recognizes just _who_ he is. What he has _done_ . She stares at the Mandalorian with betrayal written all over her face in the downward curve of her eyebrows, in the way her lips are pressed tight together. _Don’t jump to conclusions._ Siobhan reminds herself. _Maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe he just doesn’t know._

“Nice to meet ya, Siobhan.” Cobb is still holding out his hand. 

Siobhan ignores it. Her voice flat. “I’m sure.” 

It’s then when the Mandalorian catches something is amiss. His whole body twists towards her, facing her directly. His helmet slightly tilts, the only clue that he’s trying to figure out what’s wrong. 

The kid reaches out, pushing a tiny hand against her cheek, and even through the sheer veil she feels his emotions. Comfort spreads through her, easing the heartache. Her eyes sting and she squeezes them shut. Siobhan takes a deep breath. “Okay, kid. How would you like to take a ride on a mastiff?” 

The child starts to clap his hands together, excited, and she walks past both the Marshal and the Mandalorian without another word. 

She calls over a dog in Tusken and one of the dogs bounds over to them. She settles the kid down on top of the mastiff’s back, but she doesn’t let go of the child completely. A palm resting against his small back.

“Hold onto the spikes, okay?” Siobhan moves his little hands and wraps his claws around the spike. 

The child squeals when the dog starts to move forward. She stays close, walking right beside the two. Her smile returns, growing brighter than before as the kid babbles happily during the entire ride back to the settlement. She doesn’t look back at the Mandalorian once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who's reading and been commenting!! i really appreciate the support!! :D

**Author's Note:**

> catch me over on tumblr at tuskens-mando.tumblr.com where I'll be also posting this story and fic recs of my favorite pedro pascal character stories


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